Deported for Being Too Handsome

 Crime of Passion: Three Men Forcibly Deported from Saudi Arabia for Being “Too Handsome”

Photographer, actor and poet Omar Borkan Al Gala from Dubai was one of the men kicked out of Saudi Arabia because he is ridiculously good looking. Saudi Arabian men feared that these men will steal their wives' hearts if they let them stay in the country ;)  According to Arabic language Elaph newspaper, the UAE nationals were taking part in a heritage event in the capital Riyadh on Sunday when they were thrown out by Saudi’s religious police. 

TV Emirates reported recently that three United Arab Emirates nationals were deported from Saudi Arabia for the crime of being “too handsome.”

This is certainly an uncommon criminal accusation, but one that we can relate to (some of our writers are banned in 26 countries for the opposite reason).

The three men were manning a booth representing the UAE at a cultural event in the Saudi capital city of Riyadh when the Saudi Mutaween (“religious police”) stormed the UAE booth and carried the men off, with women in the crowd presumably fainting left and right due to their sheer handsomeness.

Apparently, the Mutaween feared that women attending the event were likely to “fall in love” with the three men, prompting the arrest and forced deportation.

We can only assume that Brad Pitt is banned entirely from entering the country and that his face is covered by mosaic in all of his films in the Middle Eastern nation.

By: Unknown On 23.44

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The World's Deadliest Prison

Locked Up Abroad Gulag Style! Inside The Unbelievably Harsh Conditions Of Russia’s Labor Camps

Going to the bathroom outside when it’s -4 degrees. Only seeing your children two to four times a year. Bathing just once a week. And vying with dozens of other prisoners one hour a week to use one of two phone booths to call home.

This is just a little insight into the harsh reality of life inside Russian’s modern day labor camps, known under Stalin as gulags.

And these are the conditions that two members of the band Pussy Riot will face when they arrive at two of Russia’s most notorious penal facilities.

In August, a judge convicted Maria Alyokhina, 24, and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22, of “hooliganism” for performing in a Moscow cathedral.

As the news previously reported, both received a two-year sentence and this week they were put on trains to separate camps in the remote areas of Mordovia and Perm.

Svetlana Bakhmina, a lawyer who spent four years in one such camp after being convicted of embezzlement, reveals the harsh realities of life as
an inmate.

“From the moment you stepped into the train, you were no longer recognized as an equal human being – the system treats you as a second-class person,” she tells the Daily Beast.

“They make you jump out of a prison vehicle into the train’s door. You fly with all your bags over about [a] 3 feet gap while guards with dogs stand on the ground watching you.”

Tolokonnikova will serve her time in the Mordovia colony FGU IK-14 that was once Bakhmina’s home. According to the lawyer, the train journey takes about two days and two nights.

Kept in crowded cages, she says the women are only allowed to use the bathroom twice. The rest of the time they have to improvise.

Bakhmina told BBC News that the facility is like a “tough, Soviet-style camp.” She said: “The inmates were all housed in two big army-style barracks – there were anywhere between 50 and 100 people in each one.

“The barracks were built in the Soviet times – I guess in the 1920s.”

While each barrack is furnished with rows of bunk beds, a nightstand and a stool, the bathroom facilities are dire.

She says: “There is also a toilet but you cannot use it as there is no central sewage system. We used to go outside to the so-called ‘hole’, sometimes when it was -20C [-4 degrees] in the winter.”

Woken at 6 a.m. the women have to exercise outside – even in freezing conditions – before doing their daily chores.

Both Alyokhina and Tolokonnikova are moms of young children but communication with loved ones will be limited according to insiders. Inmates can only see their families two to four times a year during three-day visits.

Meanwhile each unit is only given an hour a week to call home. Bakhmina remembers vying with dozens of women to use one of two phone booths to talk to her young sons.

The picture the lawyer presents is a gloomy one – of being locked up with murderers and facing a constant threat of violence.

She says: “The administration was very strict with us – rumors of beatings circled around the colony, although I didn’t witness any personally.

“More often there were fights between the inmates themselves.”

Perhaps the biggest threat the inmates face is a psychological one.

Bakhmina says: “There was no torture…but anyone disobeying the prison rules would be punished by getting sent to ‘shiza’ [Russian abbreviation for ‘schizophrenia’] – a solitary cell.”

By: Unknown On 21.48

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The Best FBI Agent

Moment FBI agent struggled to climb over gate... just before men behind him open it and walk through

No obstacles: This FBI agent appeared to struggle for a few seconds while trying to climb over this gate outside a New Jersey home that appeared to be locked shut
Fail: Local news crews zoomed in on the moment, capturing his climb and triumphant jump to the other side, split seconds before it opened up behind him

All in: Immediately after the agent pops over and confidently begins marching toward the home the gate springs open and the other agents join him

A blood-pumping raid by the FBI on a New Jersey home turned into the butt of hundreds of online jokes when an agent's dramatic climb over a gate proved far more embarrassing than necessary.

As seen on local news coverage the man struggled to hop over the gate, only for the gate to be easily and instantly flung open by the other agents behind him.

Those entering behind him appeared to have been waiting for him to finish the entire time.

The man gives no turn-around recognition to them, or the gate, but continues marching strong toward the house.

The video appeared in a local NBC news broadcast before it was posted to YouTube by entertained viewers heard snickering in the background.

It's since received more than 600,000 views and more than 1,100 comments.

'This is something I would expect to see in comedy movies. lol,' one YouTube viewer wrote.

'Climbs over fence like a noob. Walks away like a boss,' another wrote.

'Well it's nice to know the FBI can come into our property whenever they feel like it,' another wrote of the agent’s scaling abilities.

By: Unknown On 03.07

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Naked Mermaid Found at The Beach !

San Francisco Cop Suspended for His Photo Hobby

When off duty, Officer Gared Hansen enjoys shooting (photographing, that is) nude models as mermaids and other magical beings. But when his department found out about the extracurriculars, they suspended him — Internal Affairs even looked into him after that. Naturally, Hansen sees it as a fun hobby. But the SFPD says that it reflects poorly and in bad taste upon the department…

I’m inclined to think, “So what? He can do what he wants in his free time as long as he’s not representing the actions as department-sanctioned.” What do you guys think? At this point, after being suspended on two separate occasions, Hansen has supposedly been getting the ‘bad’ jobs, like transporting prisoners.

By: Unknown On 23.22

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New Girl Bomb Suspect

Zooey Deschanel falsely named as bomb suspect

Actress Zooey Deschanel has been inadvertently implicated in the Boston Marathon bombings after a news station incorrectly identified the New Girl star as a suspect

Fox News affiliate, Fox 4, displayed a photo of 19-year-old terror suspect Dzokhar Tsarnaev yesterday along with a caption that read "Marathon bombing. He is 19-year-old Zooey Deschanel", E! Online reports.

The TV star was quickly made aware of the error and tweeted a response.

"Whoa! Epic closed captioning FAIL!," Deschanel wrote, linking to a photo of the TV station’s error.

Twitter user Peter Ogburn who informed Deschanel of the incriminating caption then jokingly tweeted the 33-year-old saying “So, you’re saying it wasn’t you?”

Tsarnaev has since been arrested and is currently in hospital under police guard.

By: Unknown On 23.16

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Highschool Teacher Porn Web

Panel affirms firing of Calif. teacher over porn

STOCKTON, Calif. — State officials have affirmed a Northern California school district's decision to fire a 37-year-old high school teacher accused of using a school-issued laptop to help set up pornographic websites.

A three-member panel from the state Office of Administrative Hearings said it found that numerous files on the Lincoln Unified School District laptop once used by Heidi Kaeslin were pornographic, lewd, vulgar or repugnant. It also said her conduct was immoral.

The school board on Wednesday adopted the panel's March 29 ruling, The Record of Stockton reported Thursday.

Kaeslin was a special education teacher and former girls' soccer coach at Lincoln High School in Stockton when she was fired last year. The district accused Kaeslin of keeping thousands of pornographic and erotic images on her school-issued laptop, then lying about her activities when administrators questioned her.

The district said it was subject to embarrassment due to the now-defunct websites and other online references to Kaeslin's involvement with them, which officials say lasted from late 2010 until at least April 2011.

Kaeslin has said her involvement in the websites with former Stockton police officer Richard Fields, who was assigned to the high school as a resource officer, lasted only a few days.

Kaeslin told the newspaper last month that she is the victim of a vendetta by her estranged husband, who was angered by her extramarital affair with Fields.

Kaeslin said she and her husband are embroiled in divorce proceedings and share custody of their two young children. She said she used working on the websites as a pretext for spending time with Fields.

"From Day One, Rich wanted my help, and we joked about how we're business partners because that was the way that we could have our affair," Kaeslin said.

Kaeslin said she admits using the district laptop to access files containing pornographic material. But she add added she purposely did not save the files to the computer's hard drive and never realized they would nonetheless remain on the device.

Kaeslin said if she had been assisting Fields in the "hot-air balloon business," she "wouldn't be in the same spot." Fields has said the allegations against Kaeslin were overblown.

"I did make a bad decision," Kaeslin said. "When I said that I stopped, I felt like I corrected that part of my bad decision-making process."

Kaeslin said her mistakes included the affair. She added: "Yeah, I made some bad choices. Do I feel like I should be fired over it? No."

The district said Kaeslin has until April 26 to ask the state panel to reconsider its ruling, and until May 27 to appeal the decision in court.

By: Unknown On 23.13

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Chief Pornography Officer - Wanted !!!

Chief pornography officer wanted in Beijing, who are interested in this job?

The Chief Pornography Officer will need to keep abreast of all types of obscene material.

An alliance of Chinese companies intent on cleaning up the internet is seeking a Chief Pornography Officer to research websites for obscene material and "manage and rate" the results of their findings.

Anquan Lianmeng ( 安全联盟literally "Safety Alliance") describes itself as a "neutral and impartial third-party organisation" looking to establish industry standards for internet safety and to monitor Chinese users' access to obscene material. It was jointly organized by 800 Internet companies including Baidu, Tencent and Kingsoft.

Candidates have overwhelmed the human resources department of the newly-formed alliance, lured by the 200,000 yuan (£21,000) annual salary and the hope of bringing moral fortitude to their nation while consuming endless hours of pornography.
Yang Jilong, the group's human resources chief, said that they have received over 5,000 CVs for the Chief Pornography Appraiser position since publicizing the job ad on Weibo last week.

He explained the purpose of the job was one of sifting true smut from merely naughty material for Chinese users, and admitted that some websites might require further inspection from a higher authority.

"As we find vulgar information and safety risks on websites, we'll remind Web users with an online label, while for those that we're not sure about, we'll ask law school professors and government administrators for help," he said.

Skills in foreign languages are essential for the job, as much of the material the officer will assess will originate from Europe, the US and Japan, and good teamwork skills and a strong "sense of responsibility" are a plus.

Free fruit and yoghurt on week days are an added bonus for the successful applicant.

The production and distribution of pornography are officially banned in China, but the government has struggled to keep such material behind what was once described as the "great firewall of China" in an age of mobile phones and tools such as virtual private networks (VPNs), which allow users to appear to be in different countries when they log on.

Cai Yifan, a 23-year-old applicant from Nanjing, Jiangsu province, said he heard about the job through Tencent Weibo and had already sent his resume.

The graduate, who majored in English and is proficient in Japanese, took part in an online test for the job, but claimed it was too difficult.

"The questions covered many fields, such as translation, legal knowledge and psychology. I'm interested in the job, but my chances of success are slim, as the standards were too high," he added.

Job Responsibilities: Quickly and accurately identifying pornographic and obscene websites.
Job Description:
1. Research and study pornographic videos and images, formulate criteria for determining obscenity.
2. Deploy courseware on the standards of obscenity determination, and study materials such as educational videos on pornography.
3. Manage and rate pornographic resources (including BT seeds, images, and online videos).
Job Requirements:
1. Familiarity with the different standards of determination of pornographic content of different countries;
2. Familiarity with the standards of determination and express regulations concerning pornography in China’s law;
3. Familiarity with the standards of pornography identification used by CNNIC (China Internet Network Information Center) and various major internet providers;
4. A bachelor’s degree or above; age between 20-35; all genders;
5. Possesses good teamwork skills, and a strong sense of responsibility.
Benefits:
1. National standard insurances and additional allowance for meals, transportation and phone.
2. Expenses on relevant books can be reimbursed. Free fruits and yogurt each week day.
3. Free physical examination once every year, and gift for birthday, wedding and child birth.

Interview questions:

By: Unknown On 22.54

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How To Force A Kiss to A Girl

A Singaporean navy officer currently training in an Australia academy was found guilty of forcing a kiss out of a fellow female cadet.

However, Benedict Ang Yong Chuean, a trainee at the Australian Defence Force Academy, was cleared on Friday of a second charge of undoing her bra and touching her breast while she slept, according to a report on The Canberra Times.

The Australian news outlet reported that Ang, 22, had entered the female cadet's room in the wee hours of May 6 last year.

He proceeded to lay down on a bed next to the 18-year-old cadet after a night out in town where she had 18 drinks.

Ang, who had five drinks on the same night, was said to have then rubbed her back, before holding her by the jaw and repeatedly trying to kiss her.

The female cadet said she used her teeth to force him to stop before falling back asleep, while Ang said that the kiss was consensual.

He also said that he stopped kissing her after she said: "I can't do this, you're like my bro."

The prosecution team claimed that Ang had an "unrequited love" for the cadet he reportedly refers to as "sis", and also told the court that he admitted to fellow cadets that he "f**ked up" and pleaded with them not to make a report for fear of ruining his career.

Ang maintained his innocence throughout the trial, and refuted the latter suggestion, saying that he was fearful of the ADFA's rules on non-fraternisation instead.

The Straits Times reported that Ang is a Singapore Armed Forces scholar who is studying at the ADFA to study for a degree awarded by the University of New South Wales.

Ang will be sentenced in late May, and is currently out on bail.

By: Unknown On 20.06

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Nude Is Natural - Banned!

Fed-up San Fran eyes public nudity ban 

NUDE IS NATURAL: A woman holds a sign saying "Nude is Natural," during a rally against banning nudity in parts of the city in San Francisco, California.

San Francisco may be getting ready to shed its image as a city where anything goes, including clothing.

City lawmakers are scheduled to vote Wednesday (NZ time) on an ordinance that would prohibit nudity in most public places, a blanket ban that represents an escalation of a two-year tiff between a devoted group of men who strut their stuff through the city's famously gay Castro District and the supervisor who represents the area.

Supervisor Scott Wiener's proposal would make it illegal for a person over the age of five to "expose his or her genitals, perineum or anal region on any public street, sidewalk, street median, parklet or plaza" or while using public transit.

A first offence would carry a maximum penalty of a US$100 (NZ$123) fine, but prosecutors would have authority to charge a third violation as a misdemeanor punishable by up to a US$500 (NZ$615) fine and a year in jail. Exemptions would be made for participants at permitted street fairs and parades, such as the city's annual gay pride event and the Folsom Street Fair, which celebrates sadomasochism and other sexual subcultures.

Wiener said he resisted introducing the ordinance, but felt compelled to act after constituents complained about the naked men who gather in a small Castro plaza most days and sometimes walk the streets au natural. He persuaded his colleagues last year to pass a law requiring a cloth to be placed between public seating and bare rears, yet the complaints have continued.

"I don't think having some guys taking their clothes off and hanging out seven days a week at Castro and Market Street is really what San Francisco is about. I think it's a caricature of what San Francisco is about," Wiener said.

The proposed ban predictably has produced outrage, as well as a lawsuit. Last week, about two dozen people disrobed in front of City Hall and marched around the block to the amusement of gawking tourists and high school students on a field trip.

Stripped down to his sunglasses and hiking boots, McCray Winpsett, 37, said he understands the disgust of residents who would prefer not to see the body modifications and sex enhancement devices sported by some of the Castro nudists. But he thinks Wiener's prohibition goes too far in undermining a tradition "that keeps San Francisco weird."

"A few lewd exhibitionists are really ruining it for the rest of us," he said. "It's my time to come out now to present myself in a light and show what true nudity is all about so people can separate the difference between what a nudist is and an exhibitionist is."

Because clothes are required to enter City Hall itself, demonstrators who try to disrobe at the Board of Supervisors meeting will be escorted out by sheriff's deputies. That is what happened last Monday when Gypsy Taub removed her dress at a committee hearing where the ban had its first public hearing. Taub, a mother of two, said she got her start as a nudist while hosting a local cable program devoted to the theory that the government was behind the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

 "I thought if I take my clothes off, I bet they are going to listen," she said.

San Francisco lawyer Christina DiEdoardo filed a federal lawsuit last week on behalf of Taub and three men that seeks to block Weiner's ordinance, if it passes and is signed by Mayor Edwin Lee. The complaint alleges that the ban infringes on the free speech rights of nudists and discriminates against those who cannot afford to obtain a city permit.

While it may seem strange that going out in the buff is not already illegal in San Francisco, most California cities do not have local nudity laws, Wiener said. Instead, they are adequately covered by state indecent exposure laws and societal mores. But indecent exposure technically only applies to lewd behavior, so city officials have had to craft a local solution, he said, adding that the cities of Berkeley and San Jose already have done so.

"I suspect there are a lot of places that maybe don't currently have a local law (and) that if people started getting naked every day would quickly see a local law," Wiener said.

By: Unknown On 23.17

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Naked KiteSurfing

Richard Branson suggests naked kitesurfing to premier
Branson well known for his 'brashness,' Christy Clark's office responds

Richard Branson has suggested B.C. Premier Christy Clark try kite-surfing with him, noting she should be aware of the 'dress code.' Richard Branson has suggested B.C. Premier Christy Clark try kite-surfing with him, noting she should be aware of the 'dress code.'

British billionaire Richard Branson has invited B.C. Premier Christy Clark to join him on a kitesurf ride — with the suggestion that she try it naked.

It appears Clark left a real impression on the founder of Virgin Group when he visited the province last week to announce a new airline service from Vancouver. Branson, who is a master of publicity, wrote on his blog that he asked the "delightful" Clark to kitesurf while riding on his back.

But he says he forgot to tell her about the dress code, and he even supplied a picture as an example.

The picture shows a fully-clothed Branson kitesurfing with a young, naked woman on his back.

A statement from the premier's office only says Branson "is well known for his brashness and ability to manipulate media coverage for his company."

Branson's last words to the B.C. premier: "The offer still stands Christy!"

By: Unknown On 21.31

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The World's Most Provocative Tourism Adverts

Tunisia defends 'provocative adverts' to woo tourists

Tunisia's advertising agency says it wanted to be provocative in its campaign to attract tourists

Tunisia has defended a controversial advertising campaign to attract tourists who deserted the country after its revolution in January.

It includes billboards in London of a woman getting a massage, next to the words: "They say that in Tunisia some people receive heavy-handed treatment."

At least 200 people were killed during the Tunisian uprising which began in December.

It led to the collapse of President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali's regime.

Tourism is crucial to Tunisia's economy. With a population of little more than 10 million people, the industry provides about 400,000 jobs and is worth about $2.5bn (£1.5bn) to the economy.
'Nothing but ruins'

Syrine Cherif, whose advertising agency Memac Ogilvy came up with the campaign for the Tunisian Tourism Board, said it was intended to create a "buzz" among potential tourists in the UK and other countries.

"The idea was to be provocative to address possible fears around the issue of the Arab spring," she told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme.

Other advertisements show ancient Roman ruins next to the words: "They say Tunisia is nothing but ruins."

She denied the campaign showed insensitivity towards Tunisians who had been jailed, tortured or killed during Mr Ben Ali's rule of 23 years.

"This unfair treatment was done by people who were in the dictatorship and now the dictatorship has gone. It's over. Today it's a new Tunisia," she said.

"The campaign is for foreigners, not targeting Tunisian people," she added.

Tunisia was the first country to be hit by the popular uprisings which have swept across North Africa and the Middle East.

Mr Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia in January after losing the support of the military.

His trial in absentia, for charges ranging from conspiring against the state to drug trafficking, starts on Monday.

By: Unknown On 17.54

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New Zealand Pornographic

Kapiti logo 'mildly pornographic'

UNDER REVIEW: How Kapiti's new tourism logo might be used in branding.

A rebrand of Kapiti's tourism image may be tweaked to include the word "coast" amid suggestions its logo looks pornographic or like the Loch Ness monster.

The logo, part of a $30,000 Kapiti Coast District Council contract, polarised opinion when unveiled at last week's meeting.

It includes a 'k', shaped, and coloured green and blue, to look like a mountain and the sea. Underneath is the single word: "Kapiti".

Councillor Tony Lester backed the logo, which he said was "absolutely excellent".

"We've positioned ourselves for the future, it captures the hills, and the coast, and it captures our future as more of a city."

Others did not agree. Councillor Hilary Wooding said she did not like the 'k', which looked "cut in half".

Councillor Ross Church said the logo was not consistent with council branding and the 'k' would spark all sorts of comments about exactly what it depicts.

"I showed it to a Scots person who said 'it looks like the Loch Ness monster on legs'."

In the public speaking session, Otaki Community Board member Jackie Elliott raised the possibility the logo could be perceived as lewd.

"I have had feedback from the public that this 'k' image with its bent leg, at the knee, is more than mildly pornographic. Perhaps the caption underneath could be 'come to Kapiti and let the earth move for you'."

However most debate at the meeting centred on whether the word "coast", and its associations, should be included in the logo.

Strategic projects manager Philippa Richardson said the decision was based on the idea that Kapiti is much more than just a coast.

Kapiti's Eden Design won the bid to produce the marketing brand that will be owned by the council, but available to all tourism operators.

Councillors voted to delay a decision to approve the logo till a demonstration image including "coast" is presented.

Mr Lester voted against the decision, keen to approve the logo as it stands.

On the question of whether the logo is lewd, Mr Lester said as far as he was concerned "pornography is in the eye of the beholder".

By: Unknown On 17.32

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She Shows How She Puts On Bra and Drive !

Armless US woman shows how she puts on bra, drives car with her feet

Wardrobe challenge: Tisha demonstrates how she gets dressed using a small rod fitted with a fishing hook which allows her to pull clothing on to her body
A young woman born without arms, is inspiring hundreds of thousands of YouTube viewers with videos which demonstrate how she carries out a range of daily tasks using her feet.

From eating with chopsticks to applying makeup the 25-year-old American, who goes by the nickname Tisha UnArmed, reveals how she enjoys an independent lifestyle despite her disability.

She posted her first video titled 'Eating a sandwich with my feet' just three weeks ago, and she has since attracted more than 300,000 hits worldwide prompting her to launch a Twitter account and Facebook fan page.

Tisha explains that she was born with no arms, and instead she has little holes where her upper limbs should be. Her right leg is curved and also shorter than her left leg, by about eight inches, with her heel turned outwards.

She says there is no explanation for the defects, adding: 'My mother didn’t do any drugs, there was no explosion of chemicals, she didn’t dye her hair or anything.'

Despite doctors recommending a right leg amputation when she was a toddler, her mother refused pointing out that her daughter would then only be left with one limb.

Tisha said: 'My mum was like: ''What are you kidding me, she has no arms and you want to cut her right leg off? That's not right, she's only going to have one limb.'' 

Dissatisfied with shoe lifts, Tisha now has a specially designed prosthesis which was created to fit the shape of her right heel and foot.

To date Tisha, who lives alone with her dog Jack, has posted videos showing how she makes and eats a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, how she applies her makeup, how she takes a shower, how she gets dressed and how she drives her car.

Tisha says that getting dressed is one of the most time-consuming rituals, and that it's easier for her to wear simple items of clothing such as tees, lose trousers and dresses.

Holding a small rod with a fish hook attached to the end, between her toes and in her mouth she demonstrates how she puts on a bra, trousers and can even do up buttons using a few special moves. 

She said: 'Getting dressed in the morning can be difficult when you don't have arms. If I decided to wear a button up shirt or tight pants it would take longer.

'A lot of what I wear has to do with how easy it is to get on. for example I can't wear skinny jeans, besides the fact that i just don't like they way they look they would be extremely hard to get on and off.'

To drive, Tisha uses an adapted car which has been fitted with a range of special devices including a left foot accelerator, a turn knob on the steering wheel and a voice command computer box which controls functions such as the turn signal and horn.

She steers with her right foot and uses her left foot to work the peddles, while special buttons in the headrest also allow her to activate the voice command computer box.

By: Unknown On 02.09

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Nude and Naked Opera

Paul Russell: When entertainment becomes political, readers take interest

Many of the letters we receive deal with social, political or religious issues (and sometimes all three). So it was refreshing this week to have a new focal point: Entertainment.

Terence Corcoran led readers in this new direction, with his column last Friday titled: “La Demenza dell’Opera; Why is the Canadian Opera Company assailing its audience with faddish postmodernism and garish gender-bending sexuality?”

His “get back to the basics” viewpoint sparked scores of letters, with our readership evenly divided about the merits of modern opera.

“I would like to thank Terence Corcoran for addressing the absurdity of recent Canadian Opera Company (COC) productions,” wrote Anna Danielova. “As an opera lover who has been going to the COC for the past nine years, I was disturbed by the recent productions. The nudity in Tristan und Isolde was not a first. I recall another production when there were about 20 absolutely naked men on stage showing all their parts. In its current form, opera becomes a form of art that I am questioning exposing my kids to.”

Other readers suggested that Mr. Corcoran, a Financial Post editor, stay with his day job.

“While I am a regular reader and fan of Mr. Corcoran’s writing on finance and politics, his analysis of the COC demonstrates why writers need to stick to their expertise,” wrote Bill Siegel. “If he thinks the opera company missed its mark, he should look in the mirror.”

“I vehemently disagree with Mr. Corcoran’s assessment of the COC’s Tristan und Isolde,” added Janos Gardonyi. “The giant-sized video imagery, which Mr. Corcoran savages, made this show unforgettable. I simply could not take my eyes off those images of confused consciousness, of the horror of approaching death and the dissolution of the body. For me, it was a night to treasure, and the thunderous ovation by the sold-out house proved it.”

The second entertainment-related topic that readers wanted to talk about was the film Argo. For days, readers debated whether Canadians should be upset that the movie did not fully acknowledge our key role in the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis. Here are the last volleys in this debate.

“When I watched Argo, I made several comments to my wife concerning inaccurate facts,” wrote Brent Blackburn. “She reminded me that we were watching a Hollywood movie, not a documentary, and that the Von Trapp Family did not ‘climb every mountain’ when they left Austria — they left by train.”

“It’s always been my view that using any Hollywood film as an accurate source of information is unwise,” added Jerry Pryde. “Artistic liberties with facts are usually the stuff of any so-called historical film. As a Canadian, I don’t feel slighted at all. It’s what Hollywood directors and actors do — banking on public gullibility on both sides of the border to enhance their bank accounts.”

One reader said there could be a very good reason why Canada was not given credit for freeing hostages in Iran.

“In a post-Oscar interview, CNN’s Piers Morgan was talking to Ben Affleck and George Clooney,” wrote Ella Johnson. “Mr. Clooney announced that the Canadians were given credit for the rescue as a cover-up, so Iran would not know that the CIA was operating in the country, but now it is time that the ‘real story was told.’ ”

This reader said the misrepresentations in Argo pale in comparison to other films.

“I’ve seen biographies that don’t even show the correct form of death of the main character, so we can’t get too worked up about Argo,” wrote Lee Eustace. “ What we should get worked up about are political films made by Al Gore and Michael Moore that are full of misrepresentations, but presented to impressionable school children as ‘documentaries.’ ”

The final note on this subject proves that some Americans were grateful for Canada’s contribution.

“My family had the good fortune to be at Disney World in 1979,” wrote Gloria Dekter Romeo. “We were welcomed at the entrance with a huge banner that read, ‘Thank You, Canada!’ I had goose bumps when I saw the sign. All Canadians were given special souvenirs and thanks.”

–  High-ranking Roman Catholics (males only) are preparing to select their next leader, so this week seemed like a perfect time for the Letters page question of the week to be: “Can a new pope revitalize the Catholic Church?” (Watch for a full page of responses on Monday). But not everyone felt that question was fair, or would solicit useful answers.

“I am somewhat offended by the premise of this question, as it assumes the Catholic Church needs revitalizing,” wrote Leslie Tallosi. “If so, why is it anyone’s business, other than Catholics? I would be curious to see some of the hate-filled messages you will undoubtedly receive from religious bigots who find it acceptable to vilify the Church for not living up to their so-called ‘enlightened’ standards, i.e., abortion on demand, gay-whatever-the-topic-is-today, marriage of the clergy, etc.

“Long after these persons are rendered into dust, the Church will live on, strong and faithful,” Leslie Tallosi continued. “I have no doubt that the next pope will be exactly the proper person chosen.”

–  Speaking of the question of the week, readers’ suggestions for topics are always welcome. Such as this note:

“Since the public had a shot at the RCMP [two weeks, ago, readers were asked if they still trusted the RCMP], why not ask the same question about the press?” asked Joan P. Mitchell. “Can we trust the press? You could ask the same thing about the government. However, I would love to take aim at the press.”

Challenge accepted. Next week, watch for a question based on this suggestion.

By: Unknown On 03.56

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Lamborghini Aventador for Police Car

Dubai Police Adds Lamborghini Aventador To Its Fleet

This image released by the Dubai Police, shows a Lamborghini Aventador, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, April 11, 2013. In a city of boundless bling, Dubai police also are in hot pursuit after adding a nearly $550,000 Lamborghini to its fleet. Local media reports Thursday say the Italian-made Lamborghini Aventador is the crown jewel of a wider upgrade in Dubai police wheels

In a move reportedly designed to show "how classy Dubai is," the local police force has added a Lamborghini valued at about $400,000 to its fleet, Al Jazeera reports.

The news outlet notes that Dubai's police made the announcement via Twitter with a picture of the car -- a Lamborghini Aventador -- along with the caption "Latest #Dubai_Police patrols, now at your service."

The addition of the Lamborghini comes just as Dubai's police force has increased its efforts to prevent people from effectively using roads in the United Arab Emirates as if they were racetracks, the Telegraph observes. Drivers in Dubai who are caught going 200 kilometers per hour -- or about 124 mph -- may now face fines and prison time for endangering the lives of others.

The Associated Press -- which values the car at about $550,000 -- reports that the Lamborghini will primarily be relegated to tourist areas and may be part of Dubai's efforts to show that it has recovered from its debt crisis.

But a police force representative told The National that the Aventador will "be used on external roads and in locations that require fast, sporty cars.”

The Italian police used to have a Lamborghini Gallardo and the Belgian police have a Porsche 911, the news outlet notes, but there tends to be hesitation about luxury vehicles being used by authorities.

As Geoff Armstrong, a spokesman for the United Kingdom-based Lamborghini Club put it to the National, “Especially in places where the police is tax-payer funded, I can imagine it’s not something that always goes down terribly well."

By: Unknown On 03.06

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A Porn Star in Rome

'Cicciolina' bids to join Rome city council

Ilona Staller visits the Asakusa district of Tokyo in 1988. The retired Italian porn star, better known as "Cicciolina", says she will run for Rome's city council -- 34 years after the blonde bombshell started out in politics

Retired Italian porn star Llona Staller, better known as "Cicciolina", on Thursday said she would run for Rome's city council -- 34 years after the blonde bombshell started out in politics.

The Hungarian-born 61-year-old said she would be running for the historic Italian Liberal Party and would campaign to legalise prostitution, cannabis for medicinal use and civil unions.

"My programme will be liberal, libertarian and environmentalist," said Cicciolina, the former wife of US artist Jeff Koons who immortalised the couple in a series of kitsch naked sculptures.

The ex-model first ran for parliament in the Green Party in 1979 before starting her porn career in 1983 with "The Red Telephone" -- a film she co-produced with porn impresario Riccardo Schicchi.

Cicciolina was elected to parliament in 1987.

She offered to have sex with Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein to prevent the Gulf War -- and renewed the offer in 2002 as the campaign to invade Iraq gathered force in Britain and the United States.

In 1991, she founded a party called the "Party of Love" with fellow Italian porn star Moana Pozzi -- which became a popular as a protest party amid a wave of political corruption scandals.

Critics say she is as an example of Italian politics as an international source of amusement, but Cicciolina's backers say she has been a pioneer of women's rights and liberal values.

By: Unknown On 03.03

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Joke From North Korea

 Hackers attack North Korean news website

SEOUL (AFP) - Activist hackers appeared to have infiltrated North Korea's official news website and its accompanying Twitter and Flickr feeds, posting unflattering images of leader Kim Jong-Un.
The China-based website of Uriminzokkiri, which distributes news and propaganda from the North's state media, was inaccessible and its companion feeds attacked and defaced.
On Twitter, the Uriminzokkiri account's profile photo was changed to one of a couple dancing the Tango, and a series of tweets read "Hacked" and "Tango Down".
The male dancer was wearing a Guy Fawkes mask -- a trademark of the "Anonymous" hacktivist group.
The website's Flickr page showed a number of images, including one which simply read "We Are Anonymous" and a mock-up "Wanted" poster featuring Kim with a pig's nose and ears and a Mickey Mouse tattoo on his chest.
Uriminzokkiri is best known for posting propaganda videos excoriating the United States and including images like the White House framed in the crosshairs of a sniper's rifle sight.
Thursday's attack came amid soaring military tensions on the Korean peninsula with Pyongyang, Seoul and Washington engaged in a bout of high-stakes brinkmanship.
It also followed a major cyber attack that crashed the computer networks at South Korean TV broadcasters and banks last month and was widely blamed on North Korean hackers.

By: Unknown On 01.20

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Vladimir Putin Nude Scandals

Vladimir Putin topless protest: Femen activist speaks out

Vladimir Putin may have "liked" the topless feminist protester who confronted him with an obscene slogan daubed on her back – but she is less than impressed with his response. 

 Putin looks a naked member of Femen in the... eye?

Alexandra Shevchenko, who stripped to the waist in front of the Russian president as he toured a trade fair in Hanover alongside German chancellor Angela Merkel, told The Daily Telegraph that he was "really stupid".

Mr Putin claimed to have been entertained by the demonstration, telling a press conference afterwards: "As for the protest, I liked it."

Speaking in Berlin today, Ms Shevchenko, 24, said: "Putin is a bastard. If you're a normal person you have to be against him. The most important [criticism] for us is human rights, the rights of women, this situation with Pussy Riot. Of course we don't want to say this is all he's done – he has committed a lot of other crimes.

"I think his answer was really stupid. It was really in this Russian, post-USSR style. The president of a European country would never say something like – I like her, in such a sexual way. He does it because he's a stupid man."

Ms Shevchenko was one of a group of five female protesters who confronted the two world leaders on Monday morning. She had a slogan in Cyrillic on her back, reading: "F*** you Putin" – which she chose, she says, "because it's really simple".

The women have been released by the police, while authorities in Germany decide whether they will face charges.

The women are members of Femen, the feminist group who have become famous for semi-naked protests, including burning a Salafist flag in front of the Grand Mosque in Paris.

Ms Shevchenko, who studied business administration, helped found the group in Ukraine in 2006 to campaign against the sex industry. The group has been protesting topless since 2010 - and, she said, the group will soon be establishing itself in the UK.

Describing the moment she rushed towards Mr Putin, Ms Shevchenko said: "There was a lot of his security and a lot of police around him, a lot of journalists. So we have to find some gaps and just jump through them.

"When I was running at him we were looking at each other's eyes. He was very, very surprised and thinking in this moment, thinking he will do something with his security. It is their mistake."

Mr Putin attempted to laugh off the incident later, saying that the organisers of the Hanover event should "say thank you to the Ukrainian girls, they helped you promote the trade fair".

He added: "To be honest, I didn't really hear what they were shouting because the security [guards] were very tough. These huge guys fell on the lasses. That seemed not right to me, they could have been handled more gently."

"Topless protest – I think this is the only effect that can work," Ms Shevchenko said. "This way of protest is being used by women all over the world. In new countries, in Mexico, in the US, in Brazil, France and Germany.

"When a woman's nudity is not controlled by men, when she's not using it to entertain men, or to give them sexual satisfaction or advertise men's products – when she's using her sexuality for her own aims, political aims – that really makes patriarchy irritated. And you can see the result."

That result, according to Ms Shevchenko, has been regular threats of violence against Femen activists. She cited the recent fatwa against the activist in Tunisia who posted a topless image of herself online, and the abduction of a group of activists by secret service agents in Belarus.

Femen claim that three activists who travelled to Minsk, in Belarus, were kidnapped and held naked in a forest overnight. While there, they were threatened with lighters and knives. The Belarus secret service denies the allegations.

Ms Shevchenko has been in Germany since the end of January establishing a local chapter of the movement. She said that it had begun activities in Britain too.

She said that Femen lacked the media profile to attract many new supporters in the UK, while bail conditions imposed by the courts made activism difficult.

"There is a little bit less information about Femen in the UK, less than in Germany, France, it's not so easy for women [in Britain] to understand who we are and start to become Femen. And when we talk to all these activists, activists from the UK, we're really shocked that after all the protests, they have this punishment, that they cannot participate in other protests."

Mr Putin was in Hanover to open the trade fair, where Russia has a pavilion, and hold talks with Mrs Merkel.

After visiting Germany, he travelled to the Netherlands, where he faced protests from gay rights activists, who blew whistles and played loud dance music outside his meeting with the Dutch prime minister.

The activists accuse Russia of discriminating against homosexuals. Russia's parliament has given preliminary approval to a ban on "homosexual propaganda" targeting minors.

Putin: “I Enjoyed Topless Protest in Germany!”

Femen activists have organised yet another half-naked protest at a trade fair in Hannover where the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, is meeting with the German Chancellor Angela Merkel. As the leaders of the two countries examined a Volkswagen stand, girls lurking in the sea of journalists stripped to the waist and broke through the cordon and began chanting obscene slogans in English. They also had obscene messages painted on their bodies in English and in Russian. The protest didn’t last long and the girls were quickly overpowered by the security guards and taken away. The guests continued their inspection of the exhibition stands. Later, at a press-conference Vladimir Putin said that he knew of the impending protest by representatives of the Femen group, and liked it, according to Interfax. “In terms of the protest, I enjoyed it. In principle, we knew that they were preparing something like this. Thank you, Ukrainian girls, you’ve helped kick the exhibition off to a great start.” The Russian President also remarked that the protests by the Ukrainian feminists is nothing new and not to be feared. He expressed doubt that such actions may serve political goals. “If someone wants to argue about political issues, it is better to do it clothed, not naked. There’s a time and place for getting undressed” Mr Putin stressed. The Russian President even felt sorry for the girls, who were overpowered by the guards.

He added: “To be honest, I didn’t really hear what they were shouting, because the security guards are very firm. These big guards swooped down onto the girls, I don’t think that’s right, they could have handled them a bit more gently.”

By: Unknown On 00.51

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French Camel Sad Story

French President Francois Hollande’s Camel Eaten in Mali

French President François Hollande can’t buy a break. His nation’s economy has stalled, unemployment is rising, his government has been rocked by scandal and his approval ratings have slipped below 30%. Now, somebody has gone and eaten Hollande’s pet camel.

The man is having a seriously bad month.

Hollande was given the animal in February as a gift from the leaders of Mali, after French troopes repelled an al Qaeda-linked jihadist insurgency in the former French colony’s north. But after the unruly young camel greeted its new master with unrelenting, ear-piercing howls during Hollande’s visit to Timbuktu, it was decided the creature would probably prove a bit problematic as an Elysée companion (or mode of Parisian transport).  Consequentially, the presidential dromedary was left in the care of a local farm family tasked with insuring its good health and happiness.

But something presumably was lost in the translation: this week France’s Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian reported that the animal was instead slaughtered for a camel tagine, according to the Telegraph.

Tragic as that was on its own, news of Timbuktu Joe’s demise also added to the growing pile of Hollande’s woes. France’s troubles within the euros zone’s enduring debt crisis have grown worse as the economy has slowed to a stop, pushing joblessness up over 10%. That has sent the president’s already sinking approval rating to 27%–a level that could sink further in the wake of his former Budget Minister’s confession he’d repeatedly lied to the public, media, parliament and his president in denying he’d stashed money away in tax-free offshore bank accounts. True, no one is likely to blame Hollande for his camel’s culinary fate, but the improbable development does add to growing public sentiment that the President is caught in one of those dreaded periods where absolutely nothing will go right for him no matter what he does. (Adding insult to injury, New York magazine added the camel’s yowls to the already animal-infested Taylor Swift song “Trouble”.)

But there is some good(ish) news.  Officials in Mali have pledged to provide Hollande a replacement camel—and one report quotes Malian authorities describing as “a bigger, better-looking camel” than its digested predecessor. Given the recent misunderstandings, moreover, Hollande’s new pet will be sent to Paris to be fed, groomed, cared for, adored, and otherwise not used as a main course.

Animal lovers will understandably be relieved by that decision. However, given how things are going these days for Hollande, he’ll still be the person blamed if the new arrival eats all the flower buds in the Elysée garden.

By: Unknown On 00.12

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North Korea Launched A Missile !

Japanese city accidentally tweets North Korean missile launch

Residents in the Japanese city of Yokohama came in for a shock earlier today after city officials mistakenly posted a tweet stating that North Korea had launched a missile. According to ABC News, the city posted the tweet around noon local time, exclaiming "North Korea has launched a missile," sharing it with @yokohama_saigai's 40,000 followers for around 20 minutes.

""North Korea has launched a missile.""

Receiving worried calls from local followers, the city deleted its tweet and was forced to admit its mistake. Correcting its error with a new tweet, the city has seen its apology receive over 3,000 retweets in the past eight hours. Following the announcement that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had authorized a nuclear attack against the US last week, tensions have been raised in Washington and across the globe. South Korean news agencies have confirmed that North Korea could launch a mid-range ballistic missile "at any time."

US and South Korean intelligence suggests the missile has a range of 3,500 kilometers and is capable of reaching the US territory of Guam. However, the Pentagon has already announced plans to deploy an advanced missile defense system in the country, in a "precautionary" attempt to safeguard its interests in the region. Despite Yokohama's Twitter mistake, Japan is on high alert and has readied Patriot missiles in Tokyo to safeguard citizens from a potential North Korean attack. It has also deployed destroyers loaded with interceptor missiles, joining US and South Korean ships in the Sea of Japan.

By: Unknown On 00.01

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